Description
A comforting Italian-inspired dish with creamy ricotta, spinach, and marinara sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 jumbo pasta shells (plus extra for breakage)
- 1–1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- 12 oz skim-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1–1/4 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook the pasta al dente, drain, and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until browned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted but still bright green, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a bowl, mix spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Stuff each shell with the spinach-ricotta mixture and place in the dish.
- Cover with remaining sauce and bake covered with foil for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake until top browns and sauce bubbles, 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan.
Notes
- Cook extra shells in case some break.
- Use fresh spinach for best flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 shells
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
Keywords: Stuffed Shells, Spinach Ricotta Pasta, Italian Dinner, Holiday Appetizers, Christmas Meals